Wiring Thread: This stupid safety device started alerting that there wasn't safety!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Wiring Thread: This stupid safety device started alerting that there wasn't safety!

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

I stupidly ran over my Husky worklight's plug, and bent the poo poo out of the prongs. So I've decided to cut off the damaged plug, and replace it. But I also don't want to burn my house down.

The damaged plug:

The replacement 2-pole, 3-wire plug:

It's my understanding that all I have to do is cut off the old plug, strip off the insulation, and for the new plug connect green wire to green screw, white wire to silver screw, black wire to brass screw. Is that all there is to it?

melon cat fucked around with this message at 05:41 on Apr 12, 2016

# ¿ Apr 12, 2016 05:36

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# ¿ May 9, 2024 16:51

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

babyeatingpsychopath posted:

Essentially, yes. The directions are on the package: follow them. They'll give you strip lengths and everything.

Sounds simple enough. Thanks.

Safety Dance posted:

That's far from the worst plug I've ever seen. Just bend it back into shape.

What you're actually seeing is the plug after I fiddled with it and tried to straighten it out (I should've mentioned that). It was in pretty bad shape prior to that- all 3 prongs were touching.

# ¿ Apr 12, 2016 18:27

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

kid sinister posted:

Yep! Make sure that you don't do what lots of people do with replacement plugs and strip the outer insulation so far back that you can see the wires once you put the new plug housing back together.

Excellent. Now, I've cut open the wire, but noticed this... fuzzy fiber in it. What's it for (and can I just remove it)?

# ¿ Apr 16, 2016 17:27

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

slap me silly posted:

That's the optical ground. You have to connect it to the shell of the new plug with the correct size crimping iron.

I'm going to bug you for more details, only because I didn't expect to see anything other than the usual black, white, and green wires. Here's an inside view of the plug that I bought. Not sure how to properly connect the optical ground to it, though (

)

And here's my wire stripper/crimper. I've used it plenty of times, but not for anything relating to optical ground.

I really do apologize for all of these questions. I'm keen on learning how to do this properly.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2016 18:11

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

slap me silly posted:

Yeah, I was just messing with you. I uh, actually can't tell if you took me seriously or are just messing back, but if the former I apologize

babyeatingpsychopath posted:

Dude's messing with you. It's just rope to make the cable round. You can safely cut and discard it.

Alright. Laugh it up.

I have some blinker fluid to change out.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2016 19:02

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

I need some pointers on a wiring project. The genius builder of our suburban cookie-cutter home decided to wire things up so Switch A controls the lighting in the kitchen, and Switch B controls the lighting in the living room. I want to switch that up, because it would make a lot more sense for the switch on the right to control the light in the room on the right. I also want to replace the actual switches with shiny new ones, since the builder's chosen switches are warped and cracking.

I opened up the light switch and here's how it looks:

I labeled all of the black wires in the first image since they seem to have a more complicated arrangement. So are these single pole light switches or 3-way ones? I'm asking because I need to order in the correct replacement light switches (I'm considering these Lutron brand switches).

As for switching the wires- here's what I'm thinking that I need to do:
1. Switch the two red wires positions (this seems simple enough. There's only two of 'em)
2: Switch Black Wire B with Black Wire D

So, is this correct? I am not an electrician, and I won't pretend to know that I know anything above very basic wiring setups.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Feb 4, 2024

# ¿ Dec 30, 2016 22:05

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Mimesweeper posted:

Just swap the two switches without disconnecting any of the wires. That's the easiest way to accomplish what you're looking for, otherwise you'll have to spend a little time figuring out what they all do. If you can't just move the switches around because the wires are all tangled through each other, swap everything between the switches and be careful to keep them in the same order.

Do the switches have 1 black terminal and 2 gold terminals, with 3 wires going to each besides the ground? Those would be 3 way, if they only have two wires they're single pole. Looks like they're both 3 way from the pictures.

edit: Kind of need some clearer pictures to be sure, it looks like maybe there's a jumper between the switches?

I considered just switching them, but some of the wires run short and aren't giving me enough room to maneuver the switches into each other's position. Maybe I can tactfully remove the wires from one switch so I can give myself enough room to physically move the switches.

But to answer your second question- yes, they have 1 black + 2 gold terminals. And if that means 3-way, then I know what kind of switches I need to order.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2016 22:26

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Mimesweeper posted:

Is black wire A coming into the box, wrapping around black terminal A and then going to black terminal B as black wire C?

Yes, that's exactly what's happening! Sorry about the not-so-great photos.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2016 22:30

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Mimesweeper posted:

Haha, it's okay, I know it's a pain to try and get angles on stuff in wall boxes, especially when the tails are short.

Leave that black wire alone, that's the line into the box. Swap the black and red wires on the gold terminals between the switches and leave the black terminals alone and you'll be set. If you find one or both of the switches seems "upside down" after doing that, or the other switch controlling that light seems to be, change their order on the gold terminals on that switch.

I think I understand, but just to clarify- I'm not switching black wires with red wires. Just swap Switch A's black wire with Switch B's black wire, then Switch A's red with Switch B's red, but only where they involve a gold terminal.

Correct?

# ¿ Dec 30, 2016 23:09

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

I'm back with another question about a light switch replacement (follow up to my previous post)! I'm having trouble detaching the backstabbed/push-in wires from my old light switches, since the builder used cheap fixtures for pretty much everything around this house. So I've decided that I'm just going to cut the wires, strip the insulation, then wrap the copper around the side terminal screws instead. But I'm not sure as to which wire corresponds with each screw. Are my labeled images below correct?

And just to be clear- the fixtures in the images above are the old one. I'll be replacing it with similar, newer fixtures!

Also, is it generally better to just use the side terminal screws instead of the push-in method? I've been reading up on it online, and it looks like push-in wiring is more of a matter of convenience than anything else.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 04:19 on Feb 20, 2017

# ¿ Feb 20, 2017 00:02

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Hubis posted:

I found this page has a good breakdown of the different connection methods and actually demonstrates the reasoning instead of just vaguely implying that backstab terminals will kill your dog and run off with your wife: https://www.handymanhowto.com/electrical-outlets-side-wire-versus-back-wire/

Basically, backstabs have some inherent problems, but the real big issue seems to come from reusing them after a wire has been removed (especially if they are used with bigger than 14ga wire).

Thanks for the link! It sounds like using the side screw terminals is the better way to go. But to circle back to my original question- did I correctly correlate the proper push-in slot/wire with the correct side screw? And also- is it weird that there aren't any grounding wires connected to the green grounding screws on either of the switches?

melon cat fucked around with this message at 18:39 on Feb 20, 2017

# ¿ Feb 20, 2017 04:11

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Hey guys- thanks a lot for your help with my "backwards" light switches. Everything's all good.

But now I have another question. There's this plug in my master bathroom. It's a cheap, low quality outlet that constantly shorts out whenever we plug electric clippers or the vacuum into it. Just builders and their cheap fixtures. I'd like to upgrade it to a GFCI outlet just so our wiring/electrical setup is properly protected whenever appliance short the circuit (is that what's even happening? I know gently caress all about electricity) and, you know, so I don't die whenever we use appliances in the bathroom. My kitchen also doesn't have GFCI outlets, which kind of concerns me.

Given the existing setup, is there any reason why I can't upgrade it to a GFCI? And if I'm good to go ahead with it, how simple is it replace a plug with a GFCI plug?

melon cat fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Mar 1, 2017

# ¿ Mar 1, 2017 01:40

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Hi crocodile! No other bathroom has a GFCI in it. And when I say "shorting out" I mean that appliances like vacuums and electric clippers suddenly shut off when plugged into that outlet, then the outlet won't work until I flip the appropriate fuse box panel switch. And no, the appliances aren't "on" when I plug them in.

The house isn't old at all. It was only built 7 years ago. No recent remodeling, either. The builder seems to have just gone cheap with everything (thanks, Mattamy Homes!). And the existing plug seems to be backstab only- no clamps. All of the fixtures I've replaced so far in this house have been backstabbed.

Would there be anything wrong with going GFCI for all of the plug outlets in my kitchen + bathrooms, or is one all you generally need?

melon cat fucked around with this message at 13:40 on Mar 1, 2017

# ¿ Mar 1, 2017 13:33

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Hubis posted:

Is there anything else on the circuit for that outlet? Have you checked your see if you have GFCI breakers at your panel?

Here's a picture of my panel. I just noticed that they have blue 'test' buttons labeled "AFCI". And when I press the test button it flips the breaker halfway. There are three of these buttons on the panel in total. Do these AFCI test buttons mean that I do have GFCI breakers on my fuse panel?

Phanatic posted:

If the breaker is tripping, that means there's too much current flowing through the breaker. The problem might be at the receptacle, but it might not. The breaker itself might be defective, the breaker might be the wrong amperage for the wire connected to it, there might be something going on in your wall somewhere that is trying to start a fire.

Well. That sounds bad. How do I (safely) test the amperage for the wire?

crocodile posted:

this post raises a couple of red flags for me. are you the first and only owner of the house? for a house to have been built 7 years ago and have NO GFCI protection is very weird. unless you're not the first owner and the previous one went thru and changed out all the receptacles and didn't replace the GFCIs...unless there are GFCI breakers like hubis suggested..

[snip]

We're the second owner of the house. As for the GFCI protections- please see the earlier part of this post! Do the "AFCI" test buttons means that I do have GFCI protection? Also- I DID find one GFCI outlet in the kitchen, so there's that one. But I'm not sure if the entire house's electrical is properly protected.

About that plug- I know the style of side clamp screws you're referring to. But I'm still not sure if this outlet is backstabbed, or has side screw clamps. I loosened the side screws, but wasn't able to remove the wire easily. So at this point, I can't tell if the the wires are in fact back-stabbed in, or just stuck. Here are a few more pictures that i took today just in case it's helpful:

Picture A
Picture B

When I trip the circuit, it's only that outlet that turns off with it. It happens every time I use my electric clipper, but sporadically with the vaccuum cleaner. My wife's hair straightening irons works fine on it. I can't think of any potential loads on the circuit while we're using those appliances- we're really mindful of our electricity usage. And thanks to all of you for being so patient, with me and my questions.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 00:29 on Mar 5, 2017

# ¿ Mar 5, 2017 00:02

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

I need help replacing a 4-way lightswitch.

The new switch has the brass-coloured terminals. But the old lightswitch (still wired in, as seen in pictures below) does not... they're all the same colour.

What's the correct wiring setup, for this one? I'm assuming:

Black Wire A > Terminal A
Black Wire B > Terminal B
Red Wire A > into Terminal E
Red Wire B > into Terminal F

Right, or not?

# ¿ Aug 26, 2017 20:23

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

SoundMonkey posted:

only one time have i ended up having to call an electrician for a light switch replacement

with large discount because it took him 45 minutes to even work out what the gently caress was going on much less do the job

H110Hawk posted:

I would like to thank you for your amazingly labeled picture. Have you considered simply burning your house down?

Welp. Time to the call to a local Electrician for this one, then.

Maybe you guys can help me with this one. Different room, different switch that needs replacing:

I noticed that this one has one backstabbed wire + one on the side-terminal. First time I've seen this after doing several lightswitches in this house. I plan on replacing it with this Single Pole switch. Is this normal? Will I burn my poo poo down if I connect:

Black Wire A > to Terminal 2 (because gently caress backstabbed wires, am I rite?)
Black Wire B > to Terminal 1
Black Wire C > Backstab same as it is now

I'm just confused because up until now I've always thought that 3 wires = use a 3-way switch, like this one. But here I am, sitting at home with a single-pole switch, staring at the fixture with a dumb look on my face. Especially since this is the only instance where the builder opted to use the side terminal instead of backstabbing. Can you tell that I'm a rookie with basic electrical poo poo?

melon cat fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Aug 27, 2017

# ¿ Aug 27, 2017 02:29

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

angryrobots posted:

Yeah that should be right. A 4 way just swaps the travelers - so if it doesn't work right swap either A and B OR E and F.

4 way switches really aren't difficult, assuming the 3 way circuit is wired correctly.

Just to clarify (I'm just a little confused as to what should be swapped)- when you say "swap either A and B, OR E and F" are you referring to the Terminals, or the wires? I probably should've used a better naming/labeling convention for my image.

(Link to my OP for reference)

PopeCrunch posted:

Unless that switch is REAL dumb, black wire B and C should be connected through the switch (the screw terminal 1 and the backstab slot near it *should* be connected internally. Therefore, this is - a really idiotic and possible dangerous way of pigtailing conductors. The 'right' way would be ti wire-nut B and C together with a pigtail (short conductor) to terminal 1. It's been a while, though, so don't take my word for it.

Is my drawn interpretation below correct? If so, should I buy some new black wiring to create that '??' wire, or am I good to just snip it off of the power supply wires that I'm already working with? I don't even know what it'd be called at the local store if I had to buy some. I am a loving luddite.

(OP for reference blah blah blah)

I am probably over-complicating this.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Sep 4, 2017

# ¿ Sep 4, 2017 16:57

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Just wanted to ask about this light switch issue that I had earlier. I'm replacing the switch, and I plan on re-wiring the new switch so it's connected to the terminals, and not backstabbed. Which Mimesweeper told me requires some wire nutting:

Only thing is I don't have enough black/hot wire in the light fixture. What kind of wiring do I need to buy in order to re-wire the light switch like this (and is my diagram even correct in the first place)?

Sorry to bring it back up, but I just didn't have a chance to revisit this issue at the time.

# ¿ Oct 29, 2017 18:59

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Thanks for the wiring info, guys. I was actually at big orange a few days back and bought some wiring that I think might be the right stuff. The wire coating reads:

SOUTHWIRE E23919 F (UL)/AWG 12 3.307mm2 CU TYPE THHN OR THWN 600 VOLTS GASOLINE AND OIL RESISTANT II

It sounds like it's the right type. Is it? It's solid. Not the strand-wire.

\/ :hfive:

melon cat fucked around with this message at 02:48 on Oct 30, 2017

# ¿ Oct 30, 2017 02:44

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

About that lightswitch wiring- the 12 gauge wire that I bought seems to be a tiny bit thicker than the current wiring. The new, thicker wire has the white tape on it. Tough to see in the linked image, but the new wire definitely seems to be a bit thicker.

Problem? Or is it possible that the builder used 14 gauge?

melon cat fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Oct 30, 2017

# ¿ Oct 30, 2017 19:13

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

H110Hawk posted:

It's fine but you must remove that white tape. (Used to indicate it's a neutral wire, which it's not.) 14awg is standard for 15A circuits, so nothing is necessarily wrong because of it.

Alright will do that. Thanks! Sorry to toss another follow-up question at you, but I also noticed that the new wire from Home Depot has much thinner insulation than the existing wiring behind the switch. The insulation's nearly 40% thinner. Any potential issues with this? Or is it just a case of a wiring manufacturer trying to cut costs with less insulation?

melon cat fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Oct 30, 2017

# ¿ Oct 30, 2017 19:39

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

H110Hawk posted:

No problems. The rating is what matters.

Thanks for that reassurance and your help with this, fellas. And as luck would have it, my neighbour had some 14 gauge wire lying around, which is closer to what's already in my house (and thinner, so easier to twist). So I'll go ahead and just use that.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 19:57 on Oct 30, 2017

# ¿ Oct 30, 2017 19:50

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Thanks a lot for your help with my lights witches, guys. Everything's good and running.

A general wiring question, though. How many times can you re-bend copper wiring before it breaks apart/gets dangerous? Just asking because the homebuilders installed the old switch upside down, so I ended up re-bending the exposed copper wiring so it would re-thread onto the lightswitch terminals properly (since I installed it right-side up like it should have loving been).

Also, imagine my surprise when I saw an unexpected orange glow behind the lightswitch. Thought my poo poo was on fire until I realized that it was a feature for when the light switch was turned off.

\/ Works for me. :hfive:

melon cat fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Nov 4, 2017

# ¿ Nov 4, 2017 19:06

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

H110Hawk posted:

What are those other 2 red wires just chillin out? Is this more of your 4-way why not burn your house down it's simpler wiring?

If you want to get a sense for how much abuse it can take, grab a scrap, strip it an inch, scuff/knick it up with some needle nose, then sit there loving with it until it looks brittle. As the other poster said, it's a lot for 14/12/10awg.

Heh, those other two wires definitely aren't just chillin' out. They were just disconnected when the photo was taken. And yes, it was part of the 4-way burn your poo poo down situation! I did do some twisty turny fuckery with a scrap piece of wire like you suggested. It snapped off after reversing its shape about 6 times. Also worth noting that it didn't turn brittle before snapping- it just went from okay-looking, to snapping right off.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Nov 5, 2017

# ¿ Nov 5, 2017 03:48

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Question about breaker panel access. We're house-hunting in Ontario Canada and coming across all sorts of badly-done rewiring horror shows. Just came across this one in a "renovated" basement:

Yes, you're seeing that correctly. The homeowners built kitchen cabinetry on top of their fuse panel. Then built a basement kitchen around it. The breaker panel was completely blocked off and the only reason why the fuse panel is at all visible is because we specifically ask to see it. So they hired a Contractor to cut a hole in their cabinets because we insisted on seeing it. And to be clear- it wasn't a cabinet for the panel. The cabinet was installed directly over the panel. Completely blocking off all access.

I'm no Electrician but I'm pretty drat sure that there are working space requirements and that the panel door must be able to swing out 90 degrees, minimum headroom, etc. In this house you have to lean way in, and over the kitchen counter, to work on the breaker panel. What are the rules re: panel access location space? Is a breaker panel even allowed to be located here? There's a running faucet right beneath. Makes you wonder what they planned on doing if they had to shut off electricity/flip a breaker switch. And I'm not seeing an ESA sticker or anything that certifies the electrical work that was done (wiring was switched from knob+tube to copper about 5 years ago).

The poo poo we've been seeing while house-hunting, man. And this same house did a major basement and attic living space renovation with no permit (I called the City's Building Permit department and asked). And we've been seeing a lot of that in pretty much every house we've been looking at.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 21:45 on Jul 28, 2019

# ¿ Jul 28, 2019 21:27

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Motronic posted:

"Working space around electrical equipment must be as wide as the equipment or 30 inches, whichever is greater."

That's NEC so US, but I'm sure that's gonna be close for any jurisdiction. And along with the rest of the details in the code that means that cabinet MIGHT be code legal providing you never put anything in it.

Yeah I'll bet that Canada's ESA has similar requirements. Problem with that cabinetry is that it's part of a small, badly-built kitchenette (all IKEA crap quality cabinets). I'd be better off telling the current owner to remove that entire kitchen. I just don't understand why, out of all sides of the basement they could have used, they decided to build a kitchen on top of the breaker panel.

Hubis posted:

Yeah man, that's a situation where it doesn't matter what's in that panel, because if they are playing that fast and loose with the simple details I'd have NO faith in the stuff that's hard to see. My bid price would include a complete reinspection and whatever costs are required to bring it to code.

I figured the same thing. We'll probably put in an offer at a lower price and make Electrical Inspection part of our conditions. Not sure if the seller will play ball, but we'll see. I just wish people in this area would stop renovating their basements and attics. It's never done properly, and given the common issues here (wet basements) you're better off leaving the basement unfinished. But they're all doing these cheap, bargain bin renos thinking that it'll magically double their home value.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 15:34 on Jul 29, 2019

# ¿ Jul 29, 2019 15:27

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Found some remnants of knob and tube hooked into a junction box:

Pretty sure that all knob and tube is supposed to have been "disconnected" in this house. Can I just remove this knob and tube wiring?

# ¿ Sep 11, 2021 16:07

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

H110Hawk posted:

No clamps and aluminum wire as well? That's quite the box you have there. Is that actually knob and tube or just like 40's NM?

I'm no expert but I'm about damned sure that it's knob and tube:

The aluminum wire is from the suspected knob and tube wiring.

Yeah that box is rough all right. So if I did want to bring it up to proper safety all I'd need is a new junction box and clamps, or is there any else that I'd have to add?

All I wanted was a new bath fan, dammit

melon cat fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Jan 15, 2024

# ¿ Sep 11, 2021 18:15

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

I'm replacing a bunch of old light switches in my old house and came across this:

Never seen a backstabbed wire plus to additional hot wires on the two other terminals. Is this unusual or dangerous in any way? Because I'd like to replace this light switch but really hate backstabbing any wires at all.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2022 21:52

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

movax posted:

They saved the effort / time in doing a pigtail to a Wago / wire nut, which I think is the �right� way to do it. IMO use the screw terminals on the side, and then pigtail to a nut/Wago if you need more, before tacking onto the backstabs.

I think I understand what you're getting at:

Yes/no? Blue thing is a wire nut. And imagine those white lines represent the black wires -I only drew them white for visibility

melon cat fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Jul 6, 2022

# ¿ Jul 6, 2022 23:09

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Thanks for confirming and helping with my wiring diagram.

I'd love to get commercial grade outlets but how do I tell if it's real commercial grade and not "cheapy with a CoMmErCiaL GrAdE" sticker on it? I swear every item at the big box retailer is now marketed as "commercial grade" and I've had far too many break on me after a year of light usage.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2022 01:07

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Outlet replacement question. Does an outlet need to be grounded to the metal gang box AND to the green grounding screw on a new replacement outlet? Asking because an old outlet that I�m replacing is grounded to the gang box but the previous installer left absolutely no extra grounding wire left to be connected to the replacement outlet that I�m putting in. Wondering if it�s worth opening up a hole in the wall, putting in a new junction box plus longer 14-2 romex. I believe local code requires 6� of extra wire for this exact purpose. My plug-in receptacle tester says my new outlet is �grounded� but I don�t mind putting in a junction box plus longer romex if it means my new outlet will be safer. This old house has enough horrors as it is

Methylethylaldehyde posted:

Also, spend the $5/outlet instead of $1.86 and get the commercial specification grade outlets.

https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d71aa6c34e94ec254f5bf5bbb03cdfa2-lq

The screw and clamp back wire is the legit nicest wiring method available on 120v outlets, and it's worth the extra spend.

Found some at a local electrical supplier and I really do like the screw and clamp setup. Saved me a lot of trouble so thanks for suggesting this.

melon cat fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Jul 9, 2022

# ¿ Jul 9, 2022 23:07

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Rufio posted:

A new receptacle should be self grounding on the box, so you have a perfectly safe situation. If you want to, you can attach a new ground to the box and run it to the receptacle.

Your situation isn't ideal. But is it worth opening up the wall and doing the work to extend the line? Nah.

Cool. I can live with that.

But on a related note: one of my other receptacles has rust in the junction box, indicative of moisture:

Old cast iron plumbing stack is immediately to the left of it. Probably got exposed to condensation. I don't like the way any of this looks. Should I relocate the gangbox + outlet, or what's the best approach here? Maybe abandon-in-place and replace with a surface mounted outlet?

melon cat fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Jul 9, 2022

# ¿ Jul 9, 2022 23:31

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

I have an old slag glass light fixture whose bulb is flickering and actually shocks me a bit whenever I touch the bulb socket. Pretty sure the wire is shorting due to the wiring being all twisted up for several years:

The actual dimmer for it appears to be wired correctly. So I've decided to re-wire this entire fixture before it burns my house down

I've noticed that the existing wiring has paired wires that are stuck and parallel together- what's the proper name for this wiring? And any suggestions or tips on doing re-wiring job properly?

# ¿ Dec 13, 2022 00:10

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# ¿ May 9, 2024 16:51

melon cat: Jan 21, 2010; Nap Ghost

Messadiah posted:

lamp cord, I've also heard it called siamese cable

Arsenic Lupin posted:

Btw, antiquelampsupply.com is great for finding reproduction parts (sockets, cord, pull chains) that match the original. For instance, twin cord.

Thanks to the both of you for this info. Looks like I have a project ahead but I don't really mind. The sockets in this chandalier are looking a bit rough so I might replace those, too. The bulb doesn't even spin independent of the socket- the bulb and socket are fixed so twisting the bulb in twists the cord. :psyduck:

I've got another problem that I can use some help on. I want to replace one of my light switches with this timer. The timer has a red, black, and green wire.

I want the middle switch (Switch 2) replaced with the timer:

How should I wire up the timer's black and red wire? I'm thinking:

New nut group: Black Wire C + Timer's red wire
Eliminate Black Wire B
Screw Timer's black wire onto Switch 3's screw terminal. Leave Black Wire A backstabbed where it is
Keep everything else in photo as-is

Good plan or am I doing something wrong

melon cat fucked around with this message at 12:05 on Dec 16, 2022

# ¿ Dec 16, 2022 02:51

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Wiring Thread: This stupid safety device started alerting that there wasn't safety!